National Sex Toy Day seems the perfect excuse to take a peek at what's happening
in the world of pleasure technology. Not that I've ever needed much
encouragement to investigate the contents of a bedside drawer, but this time I'm
calling it research. If anyone questions my qualifications, I'll have them know
I'm working towards an honorary doctorate in Applied Pleasure Technology. The
practical component is coming along nicely.
So, my question is this;
At what point does a sex toy stop being a toy? Is it when it starts learning
what we like, talking back to us or looking suspiciously like someone we could
take on a date? Or are all these clever new inventions simply the latest chapter
in a very old human fascination with pleasure?
There was a time when
the most technologically advanced thing in the bedside drawer was a
battery-powered vibrator with two settings: on and slightly more on. Now we're
talking about artificial intelligence, robotic companions and devices that might
one day respond to our bodies before we've even worked out what we want. It's a
remarkable leap. Although, knowing my luck, the future will still involve
rummaging around for the right charging cable.
Sex toys have always been about more than their mechanics. They're about
curiosity, pleasure, independence and sometimes finding ways to be close when
being physically together isn't possible. Technology has expanded those
possibilities considerably. One branch even has a wonderfully nerdy name:
teledildonics, the use of connected devices to share intimate sensations
across a distance. It sounds like a module from my imaginary Applied Pleasure
Technology PhD, but it represents a very real way for people to connect.
But the latest developments suggest we're approaching a more interesting
question than how many speeds a toy can offer. What happens when the toy
starts responding to us?
Consider the idea of a device that adapts
to physical feedback.
GetRude has been developing technology intended to use
physiological signals to adjust stimulation, while
IronAI's Bionic VaginaX has
been presented as a system that responds to interaction and learns
preferences. These are manufacturer ambitions and claims, not proof that a
gadget can magically read anyone's mind. Still, the direction is intriguing.
Instead of choosing a programme and hoping for the best, we might eventually
have technology that notices what's working and adjusts accordingly.
Personally, I'm still impressed when a gadget remembers its last setting.
Remembering what I like might be asking rather a lot of both of us.
On
one level, that sounds wonderfully convenient. On another, I'm not sure how I
feel about a machine having a better record of my intimate preferences than I
do. There's a difference between a toy remembering a favourite setting and an
app quietly compiling a deeply personal profile. Who keeps that information?
Can it be deleted? And is the device still useful if the company disappears or
decides that the interesting features now require a subscription? I'd rather
my pleasure didn't come with a monthly renewal notice.
Then we have the robots. Lovense has shown an
AI companion doll concept,
and
Somnia Lab has discussed humanoid intimate robots, including its proposed
Silicon Lord. Meanwhile,
Jiggly Joy's Aura takes a different route by
concentrating on an expressive robotic head. None of these should be mistaken
for the flawless, emotionally intelligent androids of science fiction.
Demonstrations, prototypes and promotional claims are not the same as a
finished companion that works convincingly in somebody's home.
Even
so, the ambition is revealing. Manufacturers aren't merely trying to build
toys that move differently. They're experimenting with devices that speak,
react, remember and give the impression of paying attention. And that changes
the conversation considerably.
If a machine can remember your favourite music, ask how your day went and
respond affectionately, does it remain just another gadget? Technically, yes.
Emotionally, perhaps things get more complicated. People already form
attachments to fictional characters, online personas and digital companions.
Giving one of those companions a physical presence could make the experience
feel much more immediate. Whether that's comforting, exciting, strange or
downright creepy will probably depend on the person.
I can see why
an AI companion might appeal to someone seeking a private space to explore
fantasies, or to somebody who finds conventional intimacy difficult. It might
even offer new possibilities for people whose disabilities make some forms of
physical intimacy challenging. But I wouldn't want to pretend that a
convincing response from a machine is the same as mutual affection between two
people. The feelings experienced by the human may be real; that doesn't mean
the software feels them back. Mind you, I can barely keep a houseplant alive,
so the thought of maintaining a humanoid companion does make me wonder whether
it comes with a warranty and a watering schedule.
There's another
question here too: should the goal really be to make an artificial companion
indistinguishable from a human one? Perhaps the most useful technology won't
be the robot that imitates a partner perfectly, but the device that lets
somebody explore pleasure safely, comfortably and on their own terms. Not
everybody wants a mechanical boyfriend or girlfriend lurking in the corner of
the bedroom. Some of us would be quite happy with a toy that works reliably
and doesn't insist on chatting afterwards.
Teledildonics also makes an interesting bridge to virtual worlds.
Connected devices already let distant partners share control and movement,
while immersive digital spaces introduce the possibility of linking those
sensations to an avatar's actions. Virtual worlds add another dimension.
Anyone who's spent time socialising through avatars knows that an interaction
doesn't have to happen face to face to feel personal. People flirt, fall in
love and build relationships online, sometimes long before meeting in person,
if they even ever do. As haptic devices and immersive experiences improve, the
boundary between what we see in a virtual world and what we physically feel
could become more interesting still.
And since we're discussing the
future of teledildonics, I do have one rather specific request for Lovense: a
remotely controlled cumming dildo. Imagine letting a long-distance partner
control not just the movement, but the grand and sticky finale too. Purely a
suggestion for the research and development department, of course, but I’ve
got to put my honorary doctorate in Applied Pleasure Technology to use
somehow!
Leaving my personal wishlist aside for a moment, there's
still a considerable gap between what connected toys can do today and the
promise of a fully immersive virtual bedroom. Synchronising believable touch
with digital movement is a much harder challenge than making a headset display
a convincing scene. But it's easy to imagine the appeal: shared experiences
across long distances, more ways to express affection and opportunities to
explore scenarios that wouldn't be practical in everyday life. At what point
does a VR headset become part of someone's collection of sex toys? I suspect
the answer has rather less to do with where it's stored than what it's being
used for.
And I’ll openly admit that I’m already aboard the VR
porn train using my
Meta Quest 3. The experience of being immersed in a video showing a sexy partner
going down on me while my synced-up Lovense toy buzzes in perfect time with
the video, the duration and intensity of the buzzes varying to match the licks
and kisses I can see myself receiving in the video is quite something.
Of course, there's a danger of becoming so dazzled by the technology that we
forget the people using it. Consent doesn't become irrelevant when
interaction happens through an app. Privacy doesn't matter less because the
data comes from a bedroom rather than a bank account. And the ability to
simulate intimacy doesn't automatically make a product good for every user
or every relationship.
Nor is every new feature necessarily an
improvement. I don't need artificial intelligence in absolutely everything.
Sometimes a straightforward, well-designed device is exactly what somebody
wants. If the future involves spending fifteen minutes troubleshooting
Bluetooth while an AI assistant cheerfully asks whether I'm still there, we
may have taken a wrong turn somewhere.
What excites me most is
the possibility of more choice. More ways for long-distance partners to
share experiences. More accessible options for people with different bodies
and needs. More room for curiosity, experimentation and pleasure without
assuming everybody wants the same thing. The technology is interesting, but
what people choose to do with it is far more interesting.
Perhaps
that's the question I keep coming back to: when technology can respond,
remember and even appear to care, are we still talking about sex toys? Maybe
we are. After all, toys have always been tools for imagination, exploration
and pleasure. Perhaps these are simply more elaborate versions of the same
idea, even if some of them look increasingly like companions rather than
gadgets.
I don't expect robots to replace romance, and I'm
certainly not trading human connection for a device with a customer-support
chatbot. But I'm curious to see where all this leads. If the next decade
brings technology that helps people enjoy their bodies, communicate better
and feel closer to one another, that sounds like progress to me.
So
what do you think? Are we moving beyond sex toys, or have our toys just
grown up? And whatever we decide to call them, please don't make us watch an
advert before the good bit.
And now the part where I shamelessly shill for my favourite sex toy company...
If you've not dipped your toe into the waters of teledildonics and would like to give it a try, why not treat yourself to a little something from the
Lovense store today? Every purchase made using this link will also earn me a little bit towards the next toy that I'll be picking up from them for review (I'm looking at you
Glint).
Need some help choosing which one to go for? Then check out all my
hands on reviews to see if any of them fit your pleasure needs!
